Creating shared data insights for the third sector

Image by Shameer Pk from Pixabay

At DataKind UK, we are excited to launch our latest DataDive programme. We have refreshed our approach, offering more guidance, the potential for more impactful insights for participant organisations, and more opportunities to share learning across the sector.

What’s new for the DataDive programme?

In free, exploratory ‘DataDive’ projects, DataKind UK works in collaboration with third sector organisations, using data science to discover crucial insights from the data; inform operational ideas; and build confidence towards data analysis and use in future.

Supported by DataKind UK staff and a team of expert data scientist volunteers over about four months, a DataDive project shows organisations how to prepare their data and ask the right questions of it, culminating in extensive analysis at an exciting in-person weekend event.

The structure of these projects remains the same — bringing together third sector organisations with skilled data professionals for free, to address specific data challenges, and better understand their own data.

More guidance

We have developed an application process that provides detailed guidance, walking you through the whole process of applying to a DataDive project — from a quick eligibility checker form, to advice on how to run a workshop with your team to determine whether you have a data science project on your hands. We hope that this process will help you to start thinking differently about your data’s potential, as well as preparing you for a possible DataDive project.

More impactful insights

To boost the impact of these projects, we will work with up to three third sector organisations at once across a shared thematic area — they could share a social challenge or cause, such as health, digital inclusion, or education; or have a shared problem best solved using a data science approach.

This will provide more opportunity for shared learning, innovative thinking, peer support, and problem solving, both for the participant third sector organisations, and for the rest of the sector. It also allows us to share useful insights and boost existing resources that address sector-wide challenges, increasing the benefit and reach of our work, and improving the accessibility of data science for the third sector.

More opportunities to share learning across the sector

We hope this approach will enable us to not only support individual organisations with their data questions, but pull out useful insights, trends, and tips, and develop tools that can benefit the wider sector — including organisations that do not have the capacity or data maturity to take part in one of our programmes directly.

We hope that this will improve the scope of data and evidence that will help drive the changes organisations want to see, and encourage organisations across the sector to embrace data use, and consider what might be possible with their data.

What does this mean if you want to work with us?

We are keen to hear from you about the causes and challenges that you would like us to tackle in the future —use our expression of interest form to tell us what focus you’d like to see next.

We’ll continue to run roughly four DataDive programmes a year, with about three projects in each programme. Check our website regularly to see whether applications are open, and what the current thematic area is. We will also update the website with details on how to learn about the insights and findings from our programmes in due course.